AMR Corp.’s American Airlines said it expects to furlough about 4,400 mechanics and other airport ground workers as it implements cost-cutting labor concessions to restructure in bankruptcy.

More than 11,000 workers were notified yesterday that they may be laid off. American expects the number of furloughs to be less than 40 percent of the total, said Bruce Hicks, an American spokesman. Companies are required by law to send such letters to any employee who may potentially lose a job, he said.

American initially expected to cut 8,500 jobs among employees represented by the Transport Workers Union. That total later was reduced by 3,100 during negotiations with the union, and may fall lower through early-retirement programs and attrition, Hicks said.

Cutbacks in labor spending are a pillar of AMR’s strategy to exit Chapter 11 as a stand-alone carrier. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company cited labor expenses at the top of the U.S. industry when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 29.